There are three main finishing options to our metal products and if practicable, we would always encourage zinc and powdercoated finishes due to their sustainability advantages:
Powder Coating
Powder coating is a dry finishing process where the coating is applied as a free-flowing powder.
As opposed to conventional liquid paint which requires a solvent to suspend the components in a liquid, with the powder coating process the components are mixed, melted, cooled and ground into a powder. This powder is then applied to a surface using an electrostatic charge, which is then cured so that it forms a hard finish, much more durable than conventional paint.
Powder coating offers some eco-friendly advantage
The very nature of powder coating is what makes it a more sustainable alternative. Dry powder ultilises finely ground particles that are electro-statically charged and sprayed onto surfaces, meaning no solvents are used
No heavy metals or halogens: Unlike other finishes, powder coatings don’t contain heavy metals such as cadmium and lead.
Powder coating doesn’t release any hazardous air pollutants (HAPs).
Compared to other alternatives, a powder coating gives an incredibly durable, long lasting and hard finish which stands up against weather exposure, UV, impact, temperature, and chemicals.
Zinc Plating
Zinc plating does not require any hazardous chemicals during its application process – unlike chrome – it is considered more environmentally friendly as well. Chrome plating does use toxic chemicals such as hexavalent chromium during its application process, which can be harmful if not properly handled and disposed of.
Raw Material Usage
Naturally shorter hooks will use less raw materials than longer hooks and have a lower carbon footbprint. If you can adequately display your products on shorter hooks this obviously offeres environmental and cost advantages
There can also be big differences in raw material content between different gauges of wire. For example a 4.8mm gauge hook will actually use 44% more wire than a 4.0mm gauge hook! If your product is not particularly heavy, it always makes cost and environmental sense to opt for a lower gauge.
